Bottle-capping machine.



L. A. ARNSTEIN.

some CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2. 1916. 1,251,166. Patented Dec. 25,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WWWMi i avwawto'c L. A. ARNSTEIN.

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION nuzn AUG-2.1916.

1 ,25 1 1 66 o Patented Dec, 25, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- O 43 J? i M -i 1 $3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD A. ARNSTEIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO IMPERIAL METAL MFG. 00., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

' BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

' Application filed August 2, 1916. Serial No. 112,704.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD A. ARNsTEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Bottle-Capping Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in bottle-capping machines, and has for its object to provide a machine adapted to be used for the capping of bottles of various sizes and forms, and in the operation of which danger of breakage of the bottles is eliminated.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a machine of this character in which the reciprocatable bottle-supporting table may be adjustably positioned with respect to the frame of the machine and to the table reciprocatin mechanism.

Another 0 ject is to provide for a vertical adjustment of the capping rollers relatively to the frame of the machine.

Another object is to provide spring actuated means for moving the capping rollers into their operative positions.

Another object is to provide means for varying the tension of the spring of the spring actuated means to regulate the pressure by which the capping rollers are forced against the cap.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

I To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends my-invention consists in the novel details of construction, and in the combination, connection and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings showing an illustrative embodiment of the machine,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1'

Fig. 3 is a plan view;

Fig. 4 is a partial side elevational view showing the position of the parts in their operative position, and

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the position of the parts in their inoperative positions.

Referring to the drawings, 10 represents the frame of the machine in the upper portion of which are journaled the oppositely disposed, horizontal shafts 11 and 12. To the outer end of the shaft 11 is secured a. pulley 13 adapted to be driven by a belt, and upon the outer end of the shaft 12 a nut 14 is threaded which nut may be removed in order that a crank, not shown, may be secured to the shaft 12 to enable the machine to be operated by hand, if desired, when ad usting the various parts thereof as here inafter described.

Fixed upon the shafts 11 and 12 are bevel gears 15 and 16 meshing with a bevel gear 17 secured to the upper end of a sleeve 18.

The sleeve 18 is rotatably disposed upon a' rod 19 having its upper end secured to the frame 10 and having a bottle-cap engaging block 20 threaded upon its lower end. Threaded upon the sleeve 18 intermediate its ends is a nut 21 and slidingly secured to the nut 21 and sleeve 18 is a longitudinally reciprocatable two-part casing 22, 23. Within the casingis a spring 24 having one end engaging the nut 21 and its'other end engaging the lower part 23 of the casing.

Threaded upon the lower end of the sleeve 18 and held in position by a locknut 18' is a block 25upon which are pivotally supported a plurality of bell crank levers comprising downwardly extending arms 26 and laterally extending arms 27. Cap engaging rollers 28 are mounted upon the lower ends of the arms 26 and screws 29 are adjustably supported upon the arms 27 adjacent the outer ends thereof. The ends of the screws 29 are recessed to receive balls 30 which are held in engagement with the lower surface of the casing 22, 23 by springs 31 attached to the block 25 and to the laterally extending arms of the bell crank levers. The block 25 may be adjusted longitudinally of the sleeve 18 so as to bring the rollers 28 into the proper vertical position to engage the cap which is to be secured to the neck of the bottle, and the proper angular position of the rollers 28 may be obtained by means of the adjusting screws 29.

Secured to the shaft 12 is a pinion 32 operatively connected by means of a train of gearing 33 to a gear wheel 31 fixed to a shaft 35 rotatably supported upon the frame 10. A cam 36 secured to the shaft 35 coactsv with a friction roller 37 carried by an adjustable member 37 having threaded engagement with a threaded opening formed adjacent the rear end of a lever 38 pivotally supported upon the frame 10. A lockout 37 b holds the member 37 in its adjusted po sition. The forward end of the lever 38 is forked and carries friction rollers 39 engaging an annular groove 40 adjacent the upper end of the casing 22, 23 whereby the casing is free to rotate with respect to the lever.

In operation as the cam 36 rotates to cause its most eccentric portion to co-act with the rear end of the lever 38, as shown in Fig. 5, the forward forked end thereof will be raised thereby raising the rotating casing 22, 23 and causing a compressing of the spring 24 within the casing. As the casing is drawn upward the springs 31 will draw the outer ends of the laterally extending arms 27 of the bell crank levers 26, 27 upwardly, thereby causing the downwardly extending arms 26 to move outwardly thus separating the rollers 28 so that the cap which is seated upon the upper end of the neck of a bottle may be inserted between the rollers as hereinafter described. As the cam 36 continues to rotate to cause its least eccentric portion to co-act with the rear end of the lever 38, as shown in Fig. 4, the spring 24 will force the rotating casing 22, 23 downwardly thereby depressing the outer ends of the arms 27 of the bell crank levers 26, 27, and causing the arms 26 to move inwardly. As the arms 27 move inwardly the rollers 28. which are rotating with the casing 22, 23, will engage the cap seated upon the upper end of the neck of the bottle and fasten the same upon the neck in the usual manner.

The member 37" carrying the roller 37 is so adjusted relatively to the lever 38 and the cam 36 that when the arms 27 have reached their innermost position with the rollers 28 in operative relation with respect to the cap, the downward movement of the casing 22, 23 is checked as a result of which the roller 37 will be held out of engagement with the cam 36 during a portion of'its rotation at which time the capping operation is performed. As the roller 37 is out of engagement with the cam 36 while the cap is being secured in position upon the bottle, the rollers 28 are maintained in their operative positions by means of the spring 24 and therefore, owing to the resiliency of the spring, if the necks of the bottles being capped should vary slightly in size or shape, the rollers 28 will automatically so adapt themselves with respect to the various forms of necks that danger of breakage is eliminated. By raising or lowering the nut 21 the pressure of the spring upon the casing 22, 23 may be adjusted to insure that the casing will be moved downwardly with sufiicient force to cause the rollers 28 to properly perform the cap-fastening operation. The

to occupy their operative positions may be varied by raising or lowering the member 37 with respect to the lever 38. For example assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 4, if the member 37 is raised the outer end of the lever 38 will be raised as will also the casing 22, 23. As the casing 22, 23 is thus raised the rollers 28 will be more widely separated from one another by the action of the springs 31 as a result of which the casing 22, 23 must be moved downward a greater distance before the rollers 28 will occupy their operative positions. As the roller 37 will be held in engagement with the cam 36 until the rollers 28 reach their operative positions it will thus be seen that the interval of time during which the roller 37 is held out of engagement with the cam 36, and therefore the interval of time during which the rollers 28 occupy their operative positions will be lessened by raising the member 37*. The reverse result is accomplished by lowering the member 37*.

Meshing with the gear wheel 34 is a gear wheel 41 fixed to a shaft 42 supported in the frame 10 and having secured thereto a cam 43. The cam 43 engages a friction roller 44 carried by the upper end of a bar 45 reciprocatingly supported by the frame 10 and having its lower end connected to the rear end of a lever 46 pivotally supported upon the frame. The front end of the lever 46 is forked and is connected by links 47 to a split collar 48 which embraces a table support 49 reciprocatingly mounted in the frame 10. The table support 49 comprises a tubular member 50 having bearings 51 positioned therein adjacent its ends and a rod 52 slidably mounted within the bearings and having a table 53 secured to its upper end. The rod 52 is normally maintained in its uppermost position with respect to the tubular member by means of a spring 54 which is in engagement with the under surface of the table 53 and the upper bearing 51, the upward movement of the rod 52 being limited by a nut 54 threaded upon the lower end of the rod and engaging the lower hearing 51.

In operation as the cam 43 rotates from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 4, the bar 45 will be forced downwardly and the table support 49 will be raised. During the rotation of the cam 43 from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 5, the bar 45 and the table support 49 will be returned to their first position by means ofa spring 55 having one of its ends seated upon the frame 10 and its other end engaging a collar 56 se- 53 may be raised or lowered with respect to the split ring to permit bottles of different heights to be capped by the machine. The support 49 is held in its adjusted position by tightening the bolt 57.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The table support 49 is adjusted with respect to the split ring 48, as above described, to a position such that when the table 53 is in its raised position the bottle to be capped will be held firmly seated thereon with the upper end of the cap en gaging the block 20 upon the lower end of the rod 19. The spring 54 permits a yielding movement of the table 53 to prevent breakage of the bottle. The block 25 carrying the roller supporting levers 26, 27, is adjusted to bring the rollers 28 into proper position with respect to the cap, and the nut 21 is adjusted to insure that the rollers 28 will be subjected to suflicient pressure to perform the capping operation.

Assuming the table 53 to be in its lowermost position and the casing 22, 23 to be in its uppermost position, the rollers 28 being therefore in their outermost or separated positions, as shown in Fig. 5, the bottle with the cap seated upon the upper end of its neck is placed in position upon the table 53, being centered thereon by the guide plate 57. As the cam 43 rotates it will force the bar 45 downwardly thereby raising the table 53 and causing the cap on the bottle to engage the block 20 whereby the bottle will be held firmly in position to permit the capping operation to be carried out. The cam 43 is so shaped that the bottle will be held in place until the capping operation is completed.

The cam 36 co-acting with the lever 38 controlling the casing 22, 23 is so shaped as to hold the casing stationary until the bottle is properly positioned upon the machine. Thereupon the less eccentric portion of the cam 36 will come into engagement with the friction roller 37 on the lever 38 whereupon the spring 24 will force the casing 22, 23 downwardly thereby causing the rollers 28 to engage the cap and fasten it upon the neck of the bottle in the usual manner. As the cam 36 continues its rotation the inner end of the lever 38 will be depressed whereby the casing 22, 23, will be raised and the rollers 28 will be drawn out of engagement with the cap by means of the springs 31.

Upon the completion of the capping operation the further rotation of the cam 43 will permit the spring 55 to move the bar 45 upwardly thereby lowering the table 53 carrying the capped bottle which is thereupon removed. Another bottle may then be placed upon the table 53 and the above described operation is repeated.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a bottle capping-machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably mounted thereon, pivotally mounted levers carried by said member, capping rollers secured to said levers, reciprocatable means supported upon said member to control the movement of said levers, and a spring engaging said reciprocatable means to actuate the same to move said levers to carry said rollers into their operative or capping positions, substantially as specified.

2. In a bottle capping machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably mounted thereon, pivotally mounted levers carried by said member, capping rollers secured to said levers, reciprocatable means supported upon said member to control the movement of said levers, a spring engaging said reciprocatable means to actuate the same tomove said levers to carry said rollers into their operative or capping positions, means to move said reciprocatable means in the opposite direction, and means to move said levers to carry said rollers into their inoperative positions as said reciprocatable means moves in said opposite direction, substantially as specified.

3. In a bottle capping machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably mounted thereon, pivotally mounted levers carried by said member, capping rollers secured to said levers, reciprocatable means supported upon said member to control the movement of said levers, a spring engaging member carried by said rotatable member, a spring interposed between said spring engaging member and said reciprocatable means normally tending to move said means to actuate said levers to carry said rollers into their operative positions, means to move said reciprocatable means in the opposite direction, and means to move said levers to carry said rollers into their inoperative positions as said reciprocatable means moves in said opposite direction, substantially as specified.

4. In a bottle capping machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably mounted thereon, pivotally mounted levers carried by said member, capping rollers secured to said levers, reciprocatable means supported upon said member to control the movement of said levers, a spring to actuate said reciprocatable means to move said levers to carry said rollers into their operative or capping positions, and means adjustably secured to said member to vary the tension of said spring, substantially as specified.

5. In a bottle capping machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably supported thereon, pivotally mounted rollersupporting levers carried by said member, a reciprocatable casing mounted upon said member to control the movement of said levers, a nut adjustably mounted upon said member and extending within the upper end of said casing, a. spring within said casing engaging said nut and the lower end of said casing normally tending to move said casing downwardly to force said levers into their operative positions, means to move said casing upwardly, and means to move said levers into their inoperative positions during the upward movement of said casing, substantially as specified.

6. In a bottle capping machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably mounted thereon, means to rotate said member, capping rollers carried by said member, and means for moving said capping rollers into and out of their operative positions, said second mentioned means comprising means for varying the period of time that said capping rollers occupy their operative positions, substantially as specified.

7. In a bottle capping machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably mounted thereon, means to rotate said member, capping rollers carried bysaid member, and means for moving said capping rollers into and out of their operative positions, said second mentioned means comprising adjustable means for varying the period of time that said capping rollers occupy their operative positions, substantially as specified.

8. In a bottle capping machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably mounted thereon, means to rotate said member, capping rollers carried by said member, and means for moving said capping rollers into and out of their operative positions, said second mentioned means comprising a cam and an adjustable cam engaging member for varying the period of time that said capping rollers occupy their operative positions, substantially as specified.

9. In a bottle capping machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably mounted thereon, means to rotate said member, capping rollers carried by said member, a reciprocatable member operatively connected to said capping rollers to control the movement of said capping rollers into and out of their operative positions, and means to reciprocate said reciprocatable member, said second mentioned means comprising means for varying the period of time that said capping rollers occupy their operative positions, substantially as specified.

10. In a bottle capping machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably mounted thereon, means to rotate said member, capping rollers carried by said member, a reciprocatable member operatively connected to said capping rollers to control the movement of said capping rollers into and out of their operative positions, means for moving said reciprocatable member to cause said capping rollers to occupy their operative positions, and means for moving said reciprocatable member to cause said capping rollers to 00- cupy their inoperative positions, said last mentioned means comprising means for varying the time that said capping rollers occupy their operative positions, substantially as specified.

11. In a bottle capping machine, in combination, a frame, a member rotatably mounted thereon, means to rotate said member, capping rollers carried by said member, a reciprocatable member operatively connected to said capping rollers to control the movement of said capping rollers into and out of their operative positions, means for moving said reciprocatable member to cause said capping rollers to occupy their operative positions, a lever operatively connected to said reciprocatable member and carrying a cam engaging member, and a cam engaging said cam engaging member and adapted to actuate said lever to move said reciprocatable member to cause said capping rollers to occupy their inoperative position, said cam engaging member being adjustable whereby to vary the period of time that said capping rollers are in their operative positions, substantially as specified.

Signed at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, this 14 day of July one thousand nine hundred and sixteen.

LEONARD A. ARNSTEIN. Witnesses:

LOUIS B. HAsBRoUeK, CONRAD A. DIETERIGH.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,251,166, granted December 25, 1917, upon the application of Leonard A. Arnstein, of New York, N. Y., for an improvement in Bottle-Capping Machines, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2.1i ne 5, for the word lockout read Zocknut; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealedthis 5th day of February, A. D., 1918.

[sun] R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Gammz'ssz'oner of v Patents. Cl. 113-5. 

